RotoWire News: Hoffman has decided to retire, MLB.com reports. "It's time to retire. It's time to move on," Hoffman said. "This is more of a self-evaluation. I expect to pitch at a certain level and I had to be honest with myself that I wasn't certain I could maintain that anymore." (1/11/2011)

Year in Review: Mariano Rivera has his cutter, sure. But beyond Rivera (fine, and Tim Wakefield), is there any pitcher whose success, year in and year out, is tied so completely to a single pitch? Trevor Hoffman threw his change-up as effectively as ever in 2009, finishing third to Brandon League (9.4) and Francisco Rodriguez (8.8) among all relief pitchers by netting 8.3 runs above average with the pitch. Even then, Hoffman's 3.95 wCH/C surpassed all relievers who threw a change-up at least 3.5% of the time. That's vintage Hoffman right there. The only thing truly different about him in 2009 was the team whose victories he closed out: last year marked the first time, since he was traded by the Marlins to the Padres in 1993, that Hoffman pitched for a team other than San Diego.

The Year Ahead: In October, Hoffman signed a one-year deal worth $8 million to return to the Brewers in 2010. He will almost definitely resume his role as Milwaukee's closer. As for what to expect from Hoffmann – well, it's not rocket science exactly. Obviously anything can happen, but the most likely scenario is Hoffman doing almost the exact same thing he did last year, with a bit of age-related decline. One thing to note is that Hoffman did get a little hit-lucky last year with a .240 BABIP. Still, even that's not so crazy, as Hoffman has routinely posted BABIPs in the .280s (and, in fact, his career BABIP is .284). Expect about 55 IP, 45 K, a WHIP of about 1.05 or 1.10, an ERA in the low 3.00s, and close to 40 saves. (Carson Cistulli)